“You still like him.”
“What?” Lachlan stopped pacing and stood in front of Rory with his hands on his hips. “Yes, I do, and I hate it.”
“Of course you do,” Rory muttered dryly.
“Ro, look at the mess I made of things with Chuck. And I’m still paying off all the debt he left me with.”
Rory ticked items of with his fingers. “First, Elias is older. Second, he runs a successful business, and third, I’m pretty sure he won’t leave you thousands of dollars of debt.”
Sitting next to Rory, Lachlan sighed deeply and closed his eyes. “He does look good.”
“Wouldn’t really know. Tucker’s the only man I’ve ever been attracted to.”
Opening his eyes, Lachlan glanced at Rory. “You’re lucky, you know.”
“I am. He loves Keegan and treats him like his own son. It didn’t matter who I spent the rest of my life with, man or woman, as long as they loved Keegan. He’s the most important person in my life.”
“We’ve all seen Tucker with our Keegs. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he loves him.”
Rory smiled, and for a second, Lachlan was jealous that Rory had what he wanted. As soon as the feeling emerged, he crushed it. Rory deserved to be loved. Lachlan just wanted that for himself, and after several failed relationships, he was hesitant to get involved again. Who could blame him? He’d ended up with thousands of dollars’ worth of debt and having to have tests done to make sure he hadn’t caught some disease from his cheating ex.
Sighing deeply, he stared at the wall. “I want what you have, what our parents have.”
“I think we all want what our parents have. They’re perfect together, and even after all these years, they still love each other. I just don’t want to think about them having sex.”
“Nope. Our parents didn’t have sex. The stork brought us.”
Rory laughed and said, “Yeah, I can agree with that. The stork brought us.”
Lachlan shook his head slowly, an image of Elias on his mind. “What am I gonna do, Ro?”
“We’ve had this conversation before, Lach. Move on. There’s no point living in the past, and it’s clear Elias regrets what he did. He’s apologized, he’s gone out of his way to talk to you, and you yourself think he’s hot. Talk to him, try to find some common ground. You know you could always try to be friends. I know the idea is like totally out there”—Rory’s eyes widened comically—“but give it some thought.”
“He’s hot. That’s the problem. I thought he was fit when I was in school, but now… Damn, he’s fine.” And again, the same question. Why did he have to be attracted to Elias after everything that had happened in the past?
Taking a deep breath in, Lachlan released it slowly and nodded. “I like him. There’s no denying that. I need to move on, so next time I see him, I can sit down with him and talk.”
“He’s not Chuck, Lach. He’s not gonna use you for your money and then leave you. I didn’t like Elias when I found out what he did to you, but he was around the other day talking with Tucker and Wes, and Tucker said that he seems to have changed a lot in the last few years. That he regrets what happened and just wants to make things right.”
“Have you met him yet?”
“Once, about ten minutes before he left.”
Lachlan glanced at Rory and pursed his lips. “What do you think of him?”
Rory shrugged. “Pretty much what Tucker said. If I didn’t know what he’d done in the past, I would like him. He seems genuine, and he was nice to Keegan. You know that’s a big plus for me.”
“Yeah, he does seem nice, which makes me want to hate him more.” Standing, Lachlan stretched and turned to Rory. “Next time I see him, I’ll make a point of saying hello and talk to him.”
“Love to be a fly on the wall when that happens.”
“Who knows? You might just be there.”
They both smiled at each other. Lachlan felt better than he had before their conversation. It felt like a weight had been lifted off him now he’d made the decision to go ahead and speak to Elias, clear the air. It was time to move on.
“Ma’s cooking beef for dinner. You in?” Lachlan asked.
“Beef? Of course I am. Let me message Tuck and tell him where I’ll be. He’s picking Keegs up today after work so he can come and have dinner with us.”
Lachlan grinned. “Rory’s in love. Hey, now you’re used to man love, what do you enjoy the most?”
Rory reached down to grab his wallet when he stopped moving and looked up at Lachlan. Lachlan bounced on his feet, a grin spreading across his face. “Lach,” Rory warned.
“Come on. At least you’re getting it. I only have my hand, and I’m getting friction burns.”
Rory blinked, then muttered, “Use more lube.”
“Oh, you know all about lube now. Tell me. Which is your favorite flavor? I like bacon.”
“We aren’t having this conversation.”
Lachlan grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “All the way to Ma and Da’s.”
Rory rolled his eyes. “Someone save me,” he muttered.
Lachlan threw his arms wide. “And here I am!”
“Shit.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I DON’T THINK I remember Lachlan from school,” Tim, Elias’s brother said as they talked one night on the phone.
Elias grunted. “I see Bax has been gossiping.”
“Oh, come on, Eli, you know what the three of us are like. We have no secrets from each other, never have.”
“I didn’t want to keep it a secret. I’ve said it so many times. I was a bastard to Lachlan, and I made his life hell. I deserve everything he says to me.”
“Even the punch to the face?”
“Well.” Elias rubbed his jaw, where Lachlan had punched him, feeling the residual pain, even though it didn’t hurt now. “He does have a mean right hook, and to be fair, I deserved it for everything I put him through.”
“How many times have you had this conversation with different people so far?”
Eli laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Too many times to count.”
“Then I’ll keep my mouth shut. You know you did wrong, and you’ve made plans to make it right. That’s fine with me.”
“Thanks. When are you guys coming out to visit?”
“We should get there next Friday. You still able to put us up?”
“Of course I can. I missed the little rugrats.” His brother Tim, and his wife, Holly, had two boys, Chad and Mackenzie, Mac for short.
“Well, it’ll be later on Friday, so we should all head out for dinner. Is the diner still going?”
“Yeah, the diner is still here, and the food is still as good.”
“I’ve missed Sater’s Creek, you know. I couldn’t wait to leave when I was younger, but now I’m older with kids of my own, I want to come back.”
“How does Holly feel about that?” Elias asked as he furrowed his brow and held his breath. He wanted them to move here and for them to all be a family again, but Holly had to be on board with the idea too. It was one thing to come here for a vacation, but another to consider moving here permanently. He should know. He’d had to make the same decision himself, but for him, it had been obvious. This was home, and this was where he wanted to be.
Tim was right, the need to escape when they were younger had burned through him, but now he was older and wiser and had experienced more of life. He wanted to come back here to his roots. Maybe the week here with Holly and the kids would make her feel the same way.
“I’ve been telling her all about it, the things we used to get up to, and have shown her pictures from when we were growing up. She actually likes the idea. City life can get unpredictable but boring, and neither of us wants the children to grow up in that environment. There are times now when we’re out on the street during the day and can admit it’s worrying. That’s not what I want to bring my kids up in.”
Elias chuckled. “I don’t thin
k any of us could wait to get out of Sater’s Creek, but now that we’re older, I guess we realize just how great the place is. I’ve been back here a month, and things have changed, but so much has stayed the same. It’s nice, being back here.”
“Well, Eli, we’ll be there soon, so we’ll see for ourselves.” Eli heard a noise in the background and Tim’s muffled voice. “Got to get going and help the kids with their homework. Speak to you later.”
“Yeah, see you soon.”
Eli’s fingers tapped on the table in front of him as he stared at the code on the screen but not really paying any attention to it. It would be great to have Tim and the kids here, three brothers together again. Four when Dev sorted his sex life out. He chuckled when he thought back to how eager he’d been to leave Sater’s Creek, how boring he’d found the place when he was younger. Now, he was glad to be back and had no plans to leave again. Sater’s Creek was home, and it was exactly where he needed to be.
Funny how maturity changed your view of the world and the place you called home.
“Was that Tim on the phone? Did he say when he’s coming?” Bax asked as he walked into the room and sat in the chair in front of his own computer.
“Yeah, they’re still on for next Friday. Did you know they were thinking about moving out here permanently like we have?”
“Yeah, he’s mentioned it a time or two.” Bax rubbed his stubbled jaw. “I wasn’t sure how serious he was, but if he’s mentioned it to you too…” Bax shrugged.
“He’s talking to Holly about it as well. Told me he’s sick of living in the city. Doesn’t want his kids growing up in that environment.”
“Can’t say I blame him. I really thought I’d want to live in the city, and sure, it’s great. We had so much more available. Restaurants, such different and varied cultures, but after a while, I realized this is where I was meant to be.”
“Yeah, me too.” Staring up at the line on the computer, Elias said, “Need to get this finished; otherwise we’ll miss our deadline.”
Bax grunted, and within seconds, Elias heard the familiar tapping on the keyboard as Bax got to work. Sighing, he rubbed his face, blinked his eyes several times, and did the same thing. They had a deadline to meet, and they wouldn’t make it with Elias staring off into space.
Lachlan sat on top of Dusty watching the herd as they moved slowly through the field. His mind drifted to Elias and the situation he found himself in. Avoidance wasn’t the answer, but being a man about it and confronting it head on was. Shame Lachlan wasn’t in the mood to be a grown-up.
He could admire Elias from afar. He wasn’t hard on the eyes, and his time in the Navy had worked wonders for his body, one Lachlan wanted to see naked. Sighing, he shifted on his saddle. What to do or, more likely, who to do? He smiled ruefully to himself. He had an itch where Elias was concerned. Should he scratch it?
Kian was next to him and said, “The herd’s looking good,” pulling Lachlan from his thoughts.
“It is, but depending on Da’s results, we may have to sell some.”
“Yep.” Kian nodded, his eyes watching the herd in front of them. “You can always build it back up. It’ll take time, but it’s something we can do. That’s if we need to.”
“Flynn’s looking at the books, seeing where we can pull money from if it comes to that.”
“Yeah, he mentioned it to me earlier. He’ll be out here soon to talk to us about it.” Kian glanced over at him, his eyes narrowed. “The last thing we need is Da worried about this.”
“They left early today, didn’t they?”
“I think they know we know.”
Lachlan grunted and scratched the stubble on his jaw. “Not like we attempted to hide it.”
Kian chuckled, a small smile on his face. “They should know by now that we always find out.”
“That we do.”
Lachlan glanced upwards, watching the clouds float across the light blue sky. The sun was out, but thankfully, it wasn’t too bright yet. Maybe later when it rose higher, but at this time in the morning, it was still low in the sky, and Lachlan liked to watch the herd move slowly across the fields as the ground warmed.
“We’ll find out later exactly what’s going on.”
“We will.” Kian coughed and then said, “I saw Elias in town. I can understand why you liked him when we were younger. He was in the Navy, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, you can tell. The way he’s built, those tattoos, the way he holds himself.” Lachlan winced when he realized he might have given himself away and his attraction to Elias. The look on Kian’s face confirmed it.
“The attraction is still there,” Kian said, a smirk on his face.
Not one to lie, Lachlan nodded. “Yeah, and the bastard’s better looking than he was back then. If it wasn’t for everything that happened in high school, I’d definitely be in there.”
“I guess it helps that he’s gay too and that he’s now out.”
“Yeah, but why did I have to take all the shit because he couldn’t be truthful?”
“You were an easy target,” Kian murmured and, looking Lachlan up and down, shrugged. “And did he say he admitted to liking you back then, so who else is he going to take it out on? The man who made him feel things he didn’t want to.”
“Yeah, I get that, but it still pisses me off that I went through a year of shit because of him and his friends.” On a heavy sigh, he added, “I should let it go, I know I should. It’s in the past, but, man, that year was horrendous.”
“You need to get over it, Lach. That man can give you a good seeing to.” Kian waggled his eyebrows at Lach.
“Yeah, Kian, not gonna discuss sex with you.”
Kian laughed, throwing his head back. “Come on. What’s a brother for if not to talk about stuff like this?”
“We’re not Brad and Reece, you know.”
“Yeah, their parents are something else. I think it’s great how open they are, and did you hear what happened to Wes when Reece moved in?”
“Yeah. Can you imagine walking into that!” Kian and Lachlan looked at each other and then burst out laughing. “Oh my God, the BDSM starter kit.”
“Doesn’t she work as an ER nurse? Bet she’s seen some things in the ER department.”
“No doubt, she has seen things we don’t ever want to see.”
“She’s told stories too.” Kian mimicked throwing up. “Don’t wanna hear any of that.”
“Rory told me about this one story she was telling them when they were around Wes’s one day.”
“What about Keegan?” Kian asked. “He wasn’t around for that, was he?”
“Ma had him, so Ro had no excuse to escape.” Lachlan grinned evilly. “He had to stay and listen to the story about a man who came in with a flashlight stuck up his ass. Apparently, he accidentally fell on it.”
Kian paled and grimaced. “I think my ass just stitched itself up.”
“Mine too. Ro looked ill when he told me, but Tuck took it and asked for more.”
“What?”
“A guy tried to make a butt plug out of Lego and duct tape and got it stuck in his ass. Rebecca had to help remove it.”
“How did Ro end up with him again?” Kian asked, shaking his head. “And seriously, why encourage her? I like Rebecca, but I don’t want to know about that shit.”
“Tuck loves Ro, and Keeg calls him daddy, and I’ve never seen Ro happier than he is now.”
“True, but still.”
Lach smiled and nodded. “Tucker sure does have a mouth on him.”
Kian grunted in agreement, then nudged his horse forward. “Let’s get the grain and feed the herd. I’m getting hungry.”
Lachlan grunted in agreement and nudged Dusty. He wasn’t so sure he could eat, though, not with Legos and butts on his mind. Damn, why did he have to talk about that?
CHAPTER TWELVE
HOLDING THE LIST of items Lachlan needed as he approached Tucker’s store, he didn’t spot Elias until he heard a co
ugh in front of him. He stopped walking and looked up, his eyes widening slightly when he saw who it was in front of him.
“Elias.”
“Lachlan.”
Lachlan’s eye twitched as they stared at each other, and he swallowed hard, unable to stop his eyes from wandering over Elias’s body. Damn, he looked good today, and that really pissed him off.
Okay, he needed to stop feeling this way over his attraction to Elias. There was nothing wrong with being attracted to the man; he was hot! His T-shirt appeared to be at least a size too small, hugging his broad chest and shoulders, highlighting the muscles underneath. The biceps that strained the seams, the tattoos covering those arms. Hearing another cough, Lachlan smirked as he continued to let his eyes wander over Elias, not hiding the fact that he was admiring his body.
He heard yet another cough, glanced up, and saw Elias smiling at him and then continued his perusal of the man’s body. The trim waist and narrow hips, the jeans that hugged powerful thighs. Yes, he wouldn’t mind stripping the man naked and taking his time learning every curve and dip, every powerful muscle, watching them twitch as he kissed and licked and bit.
“Not that I mind having your eyes on me, but I came over to say hello.”
Lachlan arched a brow and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Hello, Elias.”
Elias grinned, mimicked the same move, putting his hands in his own pockets and rocking on his feet. “I wanted to apologize again.”
“You’ve done it several times now. Another isn’t going to make any difference.”
“I just feel I need to keep saying it.” Elias shrugged and pulled a hand out of his pocket and ran it through his short, dark hair. “It appears that you don’t want to accept my apologies, and I understand that.”
Lachlan crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once. “Yep!”
Elias sighed as their eyes locked on each other, and Lachlan refused to look away. As he stared at Elias, Lachlan noticed that his hair was growing longer, and furrowed his brow. Noticing Elias’s rocking body was one thing; noticing his hair growing out was another. As he stared at Elias’s face, he couldn’t help but notice the sharp cheekbones, strong jaw, and plump lips.
Building Bridges (Sater's Creek Book 4) Page 7
